Reddit’s Random Acts of Pizza subreddit came to the rescue of hungry, drained Boston bombing responders on Monday. After the first message by California woman Liz Kosearas on Monday afternoon, hundreds of people around the world rushed to help provide free food to the people working tirelessly to save the victims of the double bombing.

Within 45 minutes of the first message offering help in the form of pizza, hundreds of people offered their money to make Random Acts of Pizza: Boston Edition happen. While Kosearas was initially overwhelmed, she had the help of a small team of Redditors — none of which live in Boston — who contacted Anytime Pizza, a shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts, about the quest.

And help they did. The Random Acts of Pizza forum on Reddit helped those users send more than 1,500 pizzas to emergency command centers and hospitals all across Boston. Perry Silveira, the shop’s owner, handled most of the orders. His inventory of dough, sauce, and cheese was completely wiped out by Reddit users donating the slices of heaven.

But despite decimating their inventory, Silveira and his business partner were thrilled to help in such a practical way. The orders started coming in on Monday afternoon when a Reddit user from Oklahoma asked to donate food to police and firefighters in Boston. Silveira decided to double the order, using money from his own pocket.

The Anytime Pizza owner soon saw that order replicate itself with hundreds of donation requests. The shop’s kitchen crew and delivery team worked non-stop until the final pizza was delivered at 4:30 am on Tuesday. Police offered Silveira’s drivers escorts through blocked roads and security checkpoints to ensure workers and volunteers got the food that was donated to them.

Other restaurants followed through with their generosity. Jim Hoben, the owner of El Pelon Taqueria just one mile from the Boston Marathon’s finish line, tweeted that those who needed food could come dine at his restaurant adding that they didn’t “have to buy a thing.” Hoben added later that both of his locations had “cold drinks, bathrooms, place to charge a phone and a calm place to sit.”

open wifi, place to charge cell, or just don’t want to be alone, food and drinks,- pay only if you can #bostonhelp

Author: Melissa Stusinski

Melissa grew up in the Seattle area, but moved to Indiana to attend Anderson University in 2005 and was editor at the school’s Literary Arts Magazine for two years. When she isn’t focused on writing, Melissa enjoys working on cars, gaming, and exploring new places. [Contact: Melissa@socialnewsdaily.com]